From the brewery ... Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale is a big American IPA; bold, assertive and full of flavor and aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.

Reviews by Rchap1:

Drinking this as I write, straight from the bottle. From the start, poured out a little to gauge the color; it's a great deep golden color, not quite copper but pretty close. Smell is surprisingly light, definitely getting the hop scent. It's not nearly as strong as I would have expected. Pretty floral overall, I'm not picking up a whole lot else.Taste is pretty aggressive. I can see why this is called an extra IPA. The hops hit you pretty quick, and kinda flare your nostrils a little bit. Picking up some citrus in there as well. The taste holds for quite some time after the swallow too. Nice and bitter.Mouthfeel is what you'd expect from a decent IPA, good bite to it, nice and full, decent carbonated feel.Drinkability is also quite good. I imagine I'll have several of these this evening...All in all, a good strong IPA from Sierra Nevada, definitely something I'll buy again!

More User Reviews:

A: Pours quite darker than expected from an IPA. It is amber, almost translucent, light tan color head, very creamy head too. There is a good amount of retention and lacing.

S: This is a very balanced, typically called east coast style IPA. There is a good amount of ripe pineapple juice in this, as well as mango. But, there is also a good, solid, amount of biscuit and caramel malts. Seems quite sweet.

T: The taste confirmed what I smelled. But, this is quite a bit more bitter than expected with a strong orange peel and pine (typical west coast though) like attack right at the front. Then, the pineapple and mango are still there, a bit subdued than in the smell. You still get a good amount of caramel and cookie dough.

M: On the heavier side of medium feel, not too sticky. Carbonation is lively.

O: This is very drinkable and solid. I admit that I suppose the bottle is around 3-4 months old after the tasting, so I admit I may not have the full, correct experience that this beer can offer (I adjust my score accordingly). Still, this is a solid brew.

Poured into a standard pint glass a slightly hazed amber/copper color with a tight formed 1/2 finger head that stuck around for awhile leaving broken shotty lace behind.Fresh aromas that were heavy in the citric hops,mainly grapefruit with underlying lemon pith with a bit of overripe pineapple,a light but noticeable caramel note shows thru as well.Flavors well were alot like the aromas,citric hops blast out up front with a bit of white pepper-like spice wich was odd but not a bad thing,the caramel sweetness holds up well but is obviously over taken by the big hops.You would never know the ABV. of this beer it just goes down easy and is rather refreshing,kick ass.

Pours a clear, light copper color with a really nice, white, thick head that lingers on and on leaving great lacing down a 16oz pub glass.

Nose is a little weak for me but I do get a little pineyness from some hops. Maybe some earthiness as well just the nose was really weak and hard to make out.

Taste really makes up for the smell. Really bold, hops flavor with pine, and earthy hops taking center stage. I get a little bit of the malts that attempt to balance it out but the hops are just too much for them to counter weigh.

Mouthfeel has a decent fullness to it. Not too much though, it is just about where you want it to be for such a powerful beer.

Overall, this is a good beer just a little too much for my taste. I tend to prefer an IPA that is well balanced or a little to the malty side of balanced. This one is the other side of the spectrum from that. I would buy it again but only if I had the hankering for a screaming dose of hop bitterness.

Taste: stronger on the palate than on the nose. A great mix of grapefruit, pine and those biscuit malts. As expected there is some bitterness, but predominantly the hop flavours which is fantastic.

Aftertaste: some sweetness from the citrus hops and a nicely metered out hop bitterness. This really is a damn good IPA.

Mouth feel: medium in body with a moderate carbonation. Still reasonable, but it feels a touch flaccid. I wouldn't mind a touch more carbonation.

Overall: quite a nice AIPA as expected fro Sierra Nevada. Not sure it's worth AU$92 a case, but I'll take a 6-pack every now and then. Very flavour-forward, rather than some AIPAs that just taste of bitterness.

Pours a deep amber color with some orange and copper tossed around. Slightly off-white head that crowns the brew and settles down a bit, leaving a nice bit of lacing most of the way down. Aroma is heavy with hops all the way up and down; pine-like in character, resinous, a touch oily, leafy, very slightly floral. Malts were present but merely a supporting role that became a bit stronger as the beer went on. Citrus, grapefruit, orange peel, all being tossed about as well.

Taste is a nice personification of the aroma, hitting first with a nice hop bitterness that tingles the taste buds; full of pine and resin, they slowly cascade into an array of citrus flavors, most notably grapefruit and orange zest. Some grassy and oily notes on the edges as well. Malt oversees the whole process in a biscuit-like form, adding some structure from which to build on, as well as some sweetness to counteract the hop bitterness. A slight touch of spice from the hops fades as the beer goes on, but the aftertaste is always resounding with a nice 50/50 mix of leftover pine resin, wet fruit, and sweet bread. Alcohol is noticeable at times, seemingly random times, but it never hinders or becomes harsh - it's simply a bit-part. Medium body with a reasonable amount of carbonation.

Celebration may be my favorite SN brew, but this one is pretty damn good and it's available year round. Easy to drink, easy to find, and very stylistic of the west-coast IPA that everyone has come to know and love. SN makes solid-ass brews, and Torpedo is no exception.

The description made me think this was going to resemble a Double IPA, but while this was hoppier than Sierra Nevada's IPA, it was not as big and hoppy as a Double or Imperial IPA.

The appearance was a nice coppery color, very clear with a nice white head. The malt was very pronounced, with the hop bitterness slightly out of balance on the high side (but it is an Extra IPA). This was a bigger, more full bodied beer than the regular IPA.

Torpedo appears a clear orange-gold into a standard pint glass. A fluffy, two finger head of the lightest khaki recedes to leave a frothy, full-covering film. Sparse, medium-paced carbonation bubbles drift upward. The lacing is nicely clumpy and splotchy.

The bouquet contains lots of citrus upfront. Aromas of fresh orange and lemon-lime are countrered by biscuit, sourdough, and just enough of a sweet caramel malt balance. Piney and floral hop scents are released when I swirl the beer, along with a bitter citrus rind component.

The taste is similar to the smell and is quite yummy. Toms of orange and lemon abound at the top of the sip, followed by a full caramel sweetness, and finished off by a resinous, piney hop dryness.

The mouthfeel is quite good. A light to medium body complements just the appropriate amount of sweetness, tartness, and bitterness. Excellent carbonation contributes to produce the prototypical feel for an IPA.

This is a solid, hoppy West Coast IPA. I could throw it into the IPA rotation and be perfectly happy with it's place. I could also have several of these in a sitting.

On the palate it's aggressive yet delicate. Medium bodied with tropical fruity flavors and a bitterness akin to orange peel. Dry through and through, left nice lacing all the way down.

It would be more sessionable for me if it had a little sweetness to balance. Still a great value just a "drink two and switch" kind of beer for me. Well made for certain and an inexpensive way to get a good hop fix.